Published in the August 2006 American Longwall Magazine
The BWF is the last in a line of innovative products Schroeder has introduced in the quest to offer filtration “from source water to the last longwall shield”, says Mining East regional sales manager Dan Lynch.
Already the company has launched the SchroederPURE Self-Cleaning Filter designed to operate above ground to remove solid contaminants from source water, the LW50 longwall filter designed for inline full flow longwall applications of 500psi (345 bar) and 300 gallons per minute, and their MSB series of shield replacement elements.
Schroeder’s newest release – the BWF – was two years in the making and was launched at this year’s National Coal Show in Pittsburgh in June.
In its main application, the 98-pound BWF filters water to the CM for sprays used on the cutter heads for spark and dust suppression.
The housing is constructed entirely of bronze and 316 stainless steel and is equipped with a stainless steel element so it is compatible with straight water and does not corrode. The filter can be used in application of both water and 95/5 fluid – or any low viscosity fluid.
The main feature of the filter is its continuous flow where operations will not have to shut down the CM when backflushing, which occurs about every eight hours at most mines.
“It not only saves on continuous miner down time, it also saves you the costs of washing and cleaning stainless steel replacement elements of the filter,” Lynch said. The BWF is being sold as a life-time product.
The filter also offers better backflush because it utilizes filtered clean water for the backflush, unlike others that use dirty water. The 1000psi (70 bar) filter is rated with more than a three-to-one safety factor and is available with 150, 250 or 500 micron wedgewire elements.
Schroeder has engraved the stainless steel nameplate on the filter housing with flow and backflushing instructions. The company has received a high level of interest in this filter from other US mining concerns as well as from Russia and India.
The BWF can be fitted on new continuous miners when specified by a mine or when the equipment is retrofitted. It can also be used in a wide variety of other mine water applications up to 75gpm. Acting as Schroeder’s distributors in the eastern US is Irwin Mine and Tunnel, while United Central covers the west.
The BWF also features an optional locking mechanism, which stops the lever accidentally getting bumped and preventing the BWF from achieving full flow. It has also been designed with a minimum pressure drop – so it can hold a lot of contaminants without experiencing high pressure drops.
